Closer by the Mile: How My Time at L.E.K. has Brought Me Closer to a Great Cause

Working in the world of consulting can at times be a long and winding road. Few of those roads however, are longer and more meaningful than the 162 mile road from Wellesley to Provincetown Massachusetts, on one incredibly important weekend in August.

That weekend is the Pan Mass Challenge. And for the past ten years L.E.K. Consulting has locked into their bike pedals and conquered 162 miles of riding with one mission: To support the Pan Mass Challenge and help raise $45M for Dana Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund—more than any other fundraising sporting event in the United States. L.EK. alone has raised more than $1M for the cause over the ten years we have been a part of it.

To set the scene of the Pan Mass Challenge, imagine driving through town after town for two days straight, lined with cancer survivors and fighters cheering you on with signs dawning messages like “I’m here today because of you,” and “You’re my hero.”

Young and old, sick and healed—it doesn’t matter. It’s a road filled with one thing. Hope.

That long and winding road of consulting suddenly seems more than manageable in comparison to the challenges faced by those you are riding for. More importantly, you get to experience the impact you can have with the great people you work with and, just as importantly, ride alongside.

What I’ve taken away from consulting more than anything else over my first year and a half of work is that consulting is about so much more than just helping businesses and building strategies. It’s about bringing together smart, amazing people to collaborate and work together to be solution makers.

That’s why the path of hope forged during the PMC ride doesn’t end at the finish line. Our commitment to Dana Farber and The Jimmy Fund is year round. We have the L.E.K. auction in June that raised $70K just last year, the Boston office snack bins that tell the stories of Dana Farber patients and raise significant funds in the process, and this year we completed a pro-bono growth strategy case for Dana Farber Cancer Institute with the potential to unlock millions of dollars in new funds for the organization.

L.E.K.’s relentless desire to bring about impact and a greater good through all of its work is what brought me to L.E.K., and it’s what continues to leave me feeling fulfilled in my work.